1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to polyarticular robots such as legged robots having trunks with upper and lower limbs, and to methods for teaching motions to the polyarticular and legged robots. In particular, the present invention relates to a legged robot which performs various motion-patterns by using the limbs and/or trunk thereof, and to a method for teaching motions to the legged robot.
More particularly, the present invention relates to a method for teaching predetermined motions to the legged robot by a user of the robot which performs various motion-patterns by using the limbs and/or trunk of the robot, in which teaching of the predetermined motions can be easily performed without understanding of the operation environment of the legged robot and skills in operation thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
A mechanical apparatus, which performs movements similar to those of a human being by using electrical and/or magnetic effects, is called a xe2x80x9crobotxe2x80x9d. The term xe2x80x9crobotxe2x80x9d is said to be originated from a Slavic word xe2x80x9crobotaxe2x80x9d which means a slave-machine. In Japan, the robots started to be widely used in the late 1960s, most of which were industrial robots, such as manipulators and transfer robots, serving for automated and unmanned manufacturing operations in factories.
A stationary robot, such as an arm-type robot which is fixed so as to be used in a particular place, is operated only in a limited small working area such as for assembly and selection of component parts. On the other hand, a mobile type robot can operate in an unlimited working area, is movable along a predetermined working path or unlimited working path, and performs a predetermined or any operation on behalf of human beings, so as to provide various wide services which replace for those offered by live bodies including human beings, dogs, and others. Particularly, a movable legged robot is superior to the other mobile type robots, in that a flexible walking or traveling motion, such as ascending and descending steps and chairs and climbing over barriers, is possible regardless of the condition of walking or traveling area of the legged robot, although attitude control and movement control are difficult because the legged robot is instable compared with a crawler-type robot or a robot having tires.
Recently, studies have been advanced concerning robots having legs such as a pet-type robot which copies the physical mechanism and motions of four-legged animals such as cats and dogs and a xe2x80x9cman-shapedxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cman-typexe2x80x9d (humanoid) robot which is designed by using the physical mechanism and motions of two-legged lives, such as human beings, as models, and practical applications of these robots have been more expected.
The significance of the studies and developments of legged robots so-called humanoid robots may be explained from two points of view described below.
One is a human-scientific viewpoint. By manufacturing a robot having a structure similar to the upper and lower limbs of human beings and devising a control method of the robot, the mechanism of natural motions of walk or the like of human beings can be made clear in an engineering point of view through a process of simulation of the walking motions of the human beings. The result of these studies may contribute to the advance of various other studies concerning the mechanism of motions of human beings, such as human engineering, rehabilitation engineering, and sports science.
The other one is the development of robots for practical use, which serves as partners of human life, that is, the robots serve to support human beings in various occasions at home and in other daily life. Such robots must be more developed in their functions by learning to adapt themselves, by being taught by the human beings in various occasions in the daily life, to the different characteristics of the human beings and the different environment. It is understood that the human being and the robot can effectively and smoothly communicate with each other when the robot is xe2x80x9cman-shapedxe2x80x9d, that is, when the robot has the same shape or structure as that of the human being.
For example, when teaching a robot in a practical operation how to traverse a room by dodging obstacles which the robot should not step on, it is far easier for a user (operator) to teach a two-legged robot having the same shape as that of the user than to teach a robot having a shape differing from that of the user, such as a crawler-type robot or a four-legged robot, and it is easier for the robot to be taught (see Takanishi, xe2x80x9cControl of a two-legged robotxe2x80x9d KOUSHOU by Kanto Branch of Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan, Inc., No. 25 (April, 1996)).
The action of giving lessons to a robot in predetermined motions is called xe2x80x9cteachingxe2x80x9d. Methods of teaching the motions are, for example, those in which an operator or a user teaches the robot by holding the same by hands and feet at a workshop and in which motion patterns are inputted, produced, and edited in an external editor of the robot such as a computer.
However, in the known robot, the user has been required to have a considerably high level of understanding of the operation environment of the robot and skills in operation thereof for teaching the motions thereto; therefore, the load on the user has been great.
In recent years, research and development of intelligent robots have been advanced, the robots being capable of independently acting by forming and modifying an action plan by themselves in a stand-alone state, that is, in a state in which a command from the user is not inputted. However, such intelligence of the robots has not been sufficiently utilized in teaching motions.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a legged robot and a method for teaching motions to the legged robot, the legged robot being capable of performing various motion patters by using its upper and lower limbs and/or trunk.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for teaching motions to a legged robot capable of performing various motion patterns by using its upper and lower limbs and/or trunk, in which a user of the legged robot can teach predetermined motions by using the intelligence of the legged robot.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a method for teaching motions to a legged robot, in which the user can easily teach the predetermined motions without understanding of the operation environment and skills in operation of the legged robot.
To these ends, according to a first aspect of the present invention, a legged robot comprises a driving member including at least one movable leg part; an actual-motion processing unit for processing motion-exhibit which is performed by the driving member; a user-input unit for inputting instructions from a user; a language processing unit for language interpretation of the input from the user via the user-input unit; and an action-control unit for controlling an action in accordance with a result of language-processing of the input from the user.
The legged robot according to the present invention may further comprise a basic motion database storing basic motion programs in which basic motions to be exhibited by the driving member are recorded; and a teaching motion database for registering teaching motion programs which are each formed with a time-series combination of at least one motion program. The action-control unit may extract the corresponding motion programs from the basic motion database and/or the teaching motion database in accordance with the result of language-processing of the input from the user, and input the extracted motion programs to the actual-motion processing unit, whereby the motion-exhibit is performed by the driving member.
The legged robot may further comprise a motion-simulation unit for confirming the stability of motions by performing simulation of a motion program to be inputted to the actual-motion processing unit. The legged robot may further comprise a warning unit for warning the user of a result of the simulation performed by the motion-simulation unit.
The action-control unit may extract the corresponding motion programs from the basic motion database and/or the teaching motion database in accordance with the result of language-processing of the input from the user, and edit a new teaching motion program by using a time-series combination of the motion programs extracted from the basic motion database and/or the teaching motion database.
The action-control unit may give a name to the newly edited teaching motion program, the name being obtained in accordance with the result of language processing of the input from the user. The action-control unit may register the named teaching motion program in the teaching motion database, extract the teaching motion program in response to the language interpretation of the input of the name from the user, and input the extracted teaching motion program to the actual-motion processing unit, whereby the motion-exhibit is performed by the driving member.
The user-input unit may comprise at least one of a voice input device, a contact-pressure-sensitive sensor, an image input device, and an attitude sensor, and the legged robot may further comprise a meaning conversion unit for converting the meaning of contents inputted by the contact-pressure-sensitive sensor, the image input device, or the attitude sensor.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, a method, for teaching motions to a legged robot which comprises a driving member including at least one movable leg part and actual-motion processing unit for processing motion-exhibit which is performed by the driving member, comprises the steps of user-inputting for accepting an input from a user; language-processing for language interpretation of the input from the user; and teaching-motion-editing for producing and editing teaching motions in accordance with a result of language-processing of the input from the user.
In the method for teaching motions to a legged robot, the legged robot may further comprise a basic motion database storing basic motion programs in which basic motions to be exhibited by the driving member are recorded, and a teaching motion database for registering first teaching motion programs which are each formed with a time-series combination of at least one motion program. In the teaching-motion-editing step, the corresponding motion programs may be extracted from the basic motion database and/or the teaching motion database in accordance with the result of language processing of the input from the user, and a second teaching motion program may be edited by using a time-series combination of the extracted motion programs.
The method for teaching motions to a legged robot may further comprise the step of actual-motion-processing for extracting the corresponding motion programs from the basic motion database and/or the teaching motion database in accordance with the result of language-processing of the input from the user, and inputting the extracted motion programs to the actual-motion processing unit, whereby the motion-exhibit is performed by the driving member.
The method for teaching motions to a legged robot may further comprise the step of motion-simulating for confirming the stability of motions by performing simulation of the motion program to be used for the motion-exhibit in the actual-motion-processing step. The method for teaching motions to a legged robot may further comprise the step of warning the user of a result of the simulation performed in the motion-simulating step.
In the method for teaching motions to a legged robot, a name may be given to the newly edited teaching motion program in the teaching-motion-editing step, the name being obtained in accordance with the result of language processing of the input from the user. In the teaching-motion-editing step, the named teaching motion may be registered in the teaching motion database. The method may further comprise the step of extracting the teaching motion program in response to the language interpretation of the input of the name from the user, and inputting the extracted teaching motion program to the actual-motion processing unit, whereby the motion-exhibit process is performed.
Input in the form of at least one of voice, contact pressure, image, and attitude may be accepted in the user-inputting step. The method may further comprise the step of meaning-converting for converting the meaning of the input in the form of contact-pressure, image, or attitude.
According to the present invention, a legged robot and a method for teaching motions to the legged robot can be provided, in which the legged robot can perform various motion patters by using its upper and lower limbs and/or trunk.
According to the present invention, a method for teaching motions to a legged robot capable of performing various motion patterns by using its upper and lower limbs and/or trunk can be provided, in which a user of the legged robot can teach predetermined motions by using the intelligence of the legged robot.
According to the present invention, a method for teaching motions to a legged robot can be provided, in which the user can easily teach the predetermined motions without understanding of the operation environment and skills in operation of the legged robot.
The legged robot according to the present invention is provided with a plurality of basic motion programs. The legged robot can recognize and language-process voice instructions inputted by the user, and perform meaning interpretation and language processing of image inputs and other sensor-inputs, thereby specifying requirements of the user.
At least one required basic motion is extracted and is combined in a time series, whereby a teaching motion program for realizing a series of expressive motions can be produced.
The produced teaching motion program is database-controlled and is combined with the basic motion program, whereby a more sophisticated and complex teaching program can be edited.
Therefore, the user can teach motions to the legged robot in the same way as in giving lessons to children in dancing, without understanding of complex operating method and skills in operation of the legged robot, by using the intelligence of the legged robot.
Further objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the embodiments according to the present invention with reference to the attached drawings.